Edinburgh has been ranked as the UK’s most attractive city to live in for European expatriates, with Aberdeen in second place. The Scottish capital tops the chart as the “most liveable” UK destination, in the latest annual Location Ratings Report from global mobility expert, ECA International (ECA).
The Scots cities are ranked 17th and 24th in the world, ahead of London in 37th place.
Bern, in Switzerland, was named the world’s most liveable city for European expatriates, with clean air and low crime rates among the attractions. Former joint number one Copenhagen fell to fifth place globally due to housing availability issues.
Edinburgh has climbed the rankings over the past ten years, entering the top 20 most attractive cities globally in part due to relatively low levels of crime and air pollution. Glasgow only ranked 47th because of its higher crime rate.
Neil Ashman, Senior Location Ratings Analyst at ECA, said: “Edinburgh and Aberdeen score well across all liveability factors which sees them placed high in the rankings.
“For example, both have good recreational facilities and low levels of air pollution and it is easy to travel around each city.
“There are also sizable expatriate communities in place to help newcomers settle in.”
ECA’s Location Ratings evaluate cities around the world to form an assessment of the overall quality of living for expats, in over 500 locations across the globe.
The ranking is based on a variety of liveability factors including availability of health services; housing and utilities; isolation; access to a social network and recreational and leisure facilities; infrastructure; climate; personal safety; socio-political tensions and air quality.
Swiss, Dutch and Scandinavian cities fill the top ten “most liveable” cities. Bern was the overall most liveable city for European expatriates for the third year running.
Ashman said: “With top facilities, minimal air pollution and low crime rates, Bern is a very attractive city for expatriates and their families.”
Bern is the fifth largest city in Switzerland, and its pole position reflects a wider trend in global expat liveability — smaller cities are “more liveable” as destinations to those moving from other countries to work.
Bigger cities in other European countries feature further down the rankings owing to some of the negative issues associated with larger urban centres. Berlin ranked 35th this year, compared to Frankfurt which ranked 24th, while Paris ranked 41st compared to Toulouse which ranked 19th.
Ashman added: “It is not surprising to see smaller European locations like Eindhoven, Stavanger, Rotterdam, Gothenburg and The Hague in the top ten. They tend to have excellent facilities and infrastructure, as larger cities do, but they also benefit from lower crime rates and air pollution levels than big cities.”
In Asia, Singapore remains the most liveable city for European expatriates (96th in the world), closely followed by Tokyo (99th). Toronto is the highest placed North American city (20th).
